Winter Fishing at Amelia
Story and photos by Terry Lacoss

Winter fishing at Amelia Island offers a variety of fresh and salt water angling opportunities for the avid and occasional fishermen. Some of the best saltwater fishing opportunities come from the many close-to-shore fish havens where excellent-eating red snapper, grouper and black sea bass make their winter home. Good numbers of sea trout, flounder and redfish congregate in tidal estuaries, bays and inlets of Amelia Island. And largemouth bass fishing couldn't be better in some of the deep, brackish tidal rivers of northeast Florida.

Drifting or anchoring at many of the offshore fish havens produces grouper weighing to 30 pounds. One of the best areas to fish in recent winters has been FA reef, also called the Fernandina Snapper grounds. FA is located some nine miles offshore of the Fernandina inlet and has numerous lime rock ledges which attract gag grouper weighing to 30 pounds.

Anchoring precisely in front of the ledge, on the up-current side, is a deadly fishing tactic for winter grouper. Here, bottom fishermen draw grouper away from the harmful ledge while enticing them with live pinfish fished right on the bottom. Once a large grouper takes the bait, the angler wrestles his catch away from ledge with 80-lb. bottom fishing tackle and a fully engaged reel drag!

Bottom fishermen targeting a wide variety of fish can drift over offshore fish havens while using a double-hook bottom setup. The top hook is baited with a dead cigar minnow or cut Boston mackerel, while the bottom hook is baited with fresh local squid. This style of drifting allows bottom fishermen to cover a large area of the bottom while targeting red snapper, grouper and sea bass.

Some of the more productive offshore fish havens in winter include FC, FB, "Schultz's Fish Market", HH and the "Amberjack Hole". All of these fish havens are identified on local offshore charts with GPS and loran numbers.

A good day's catch from Amelia Island's waters.
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The northeast Florida Gulf Stream is located some 65 nautical miles offshore, keeping most fishermen home when the winds and sea are questionable. However, when calm weather is abundant, sailfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, dolphin and marlin can be taken in water depths ranging from 500 to over 1,000 feet of water.

Wahoo fishing is the big winter attraction at the "Ledge", with some wahoo weighing over 100 pounds! One of the more productive fishing tactics for wahoo is trolling deep lures such as the "Wahoo Whacker", "Cedar Plug" and spoons.

Wire lines rigged with a 5-lb. trolling weight are popular when trolling for wahoo. The heavy weight and wire line helps keep the lure deep when trolling at speeds from eight to ten knots. During the initial strike wahoo will often make a racehorse-like run, then swim right up to the boat. Once a hooked wahoo sees the boat and fishermen, a second racehorse-like run is sure to follow!

When planning a fishing trip to northeast Florida's Gulf Stream, make sure that you watch the weather the night before and the morning of your fishing trip. Tell friends and marina personnel where you will be fishing and when you are scheduled to return. Finally, make sure you carry plenty of fuel!

Winter means big grouper can be found offshore.
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King mackerel, cobia, amberjack, barracuda and blackfin tuna can be found at the "Brunswick 40-mile Bottom", the "Elton Bottom", "TW" and the R-4 Navy Tower during the winter fishing season. Trolling with dead cigar minnows dressed with a pink and white plastic lure works well for all of these species. Downrigger baits fished from 30 to 50 feet of water is an exceptionally deadly winter trolling tactic.

The Nassau and St. Mary's inlets offer excellent black drum, redfish, whiting and sheepshead fishing during the winter. All of these species can be caught while fishing right on the bottom with fresh shrimp. However, excellent-eating sheepshead can be also found holding close to jetty rocks, and they prefer fiddler crabs or barnacles.

In nearby backwater bays and creeks, look for redfish to school over mud flats during low tide periods where the sun tends to warm up the water temperature. Productive lures include the Berkley Gulp and a 1/2-oz. Johnson gold spoon.
During the flood tide, look for reds to move up into the creeks where they can feed on crabs and other delectable crustaceans. Here, a Cotee 1/8-oz. led head jig, rigged with a root beer-colored plastic tail and fished slowly in deep holes and the mouths of feeder creeks, works well. Winter redfish will also take cut baits, finger mullet and bullhead minnows fished right on the bottom.

Sea trout action is excellent during the winter in the backwater rivers and bays, particularly during the last of the incoming and the first of the falling tides. One of the best angling tactics for winter sea trout is drifting a live shrimp under a trout float. However, count down rapalas, the 52-M Mirror Lure and led head jigs rigged with chartreuse plastic curly tails all work well for winter sea trout.
Some of the better areas to find winter sea trout include the Nassau Sound Bridge, the Shave Bridge, the Fernandina rock jetties, Tiger basin and Egan's Creek.

The sea trout season is closed in northeast Florida during the month of January.

Surf fishermen can expect to catch beach whiting, blues, sea trout, black drum, flounder and more while fishing with fresh shrimp on the bottom. Some of the better areas of the beach to fish include the new rock jetties constructed at the southern tip of Amelia Island, the little rock jetties located at Fort Clinch and the old "Pipeline" in the very middle of Amelia Island on the beach.
The Nassau and the Fort Clinch fishing piers offer fishing on foot for whiting, black drum, red drum, bluefish and sheepshead.

Freshwater bass fishermen will have the chance of a lifetime while casting to ten-pound largemouth bass in the many tidal rivers of northeast Florida. Some of the more productive rivers include the St. Mary's, Lofton, Boggy, Nassau and Thomas'. Look for some of the best bass fishing to come during the flood tide while fishing shoreline cover with plastic worms, rapalas and crank baits. However, if you are hoping to catch a wall hanger, fish with wild shiners under a small float!

Huge largemouth bass can be taken from the
many tidal rivers of northeast Florida.
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Winter fishing for striped bass is also excellent during the winter in both the St. Mary's and Nassau Rivers. Troll the mouths of feeders and right up into the feeder creeks with shad colored lures and 1/4-oz. led head jigs rigged with a white curly plastic tail. In these same rivers, fishermen will also find sunshine bass, which are identified by their broken stripes.

Crabbing is also excellent during the winter months, especially when fishing right on the bottom with a weighted chicken neck at low tide. When a slight tug is detected, pull the crab slowly to the surface and net with a long handled net. Place the blue crabs alive in a boiling pot of water with crab seasoning added. Once the crabs turn a bright pink, remove from the stove and enjoy!

Non Florida residents over the age of sixteen, will need to purchase a Florida saltwater fishing license when fishing or crabbing from land, piers or bridges. For more information on fishing, sailing and charters, call the Amelia Angler at (904) 321-5090.